Teen loses entire savings after falling victim to devastating NAB Scam - here's what happened
- Replies 35
After years of working hard and saving every penny she could, 18-year-old Aurora Casilli from Western Australia was confident that she would soon be able to afford her own home.
She had big goals and worked hard to achieve them all - starting her first casual job at the young age of 14.
However, the teen's goal came crashing down when she became a victim of a new, sophisticated scam that has seen her getting wiped out of her entire life savings.
Aurora recalled that it all started when she received a text message she believed was from her bank.
It said that someone with a name she didn't recognise was trying to transfer money out of her account – and she only had a few seconds to act.
'I was just at home, about to make breakfast when the text came through. I panicked when I read it,' she shared.
'All the money I had saved, and now I thought someone was in my account trying to make an unauthorised transfer.'
The teen recalled that nothing about the unexpected interaction seemed out of place at the time as the text message claimed to be from the National Australia Bank (NAB).
'The text was from NAB, and was underneath other messages I got from them. It seemed legit to me, so I called the number in a panic,' she continued.
'If it was from a random mobile number, I wouldn’t have believed it. But it seemed so real.'
The text message also included an instruction to call the 'banks' 1800 number if she does not authorise the supposed transfer.
Aurora, who was in a 'state of shock' at the time, made the decision to dial the number, hoping that it could help prevent someone from stealing her money.
Unfortunately, what followed was a series of steps she would come to later realise were all attempts to con her out of her hard-earned money.
The teen recounted that when she called the number she was given, the prompts and music were exactly the same as when she'd called her bank in the past, making her believe that there was nothing suspicious about the process.
She even had to wait an hour on hold to talk to someone, which she said only added to the apparent authenticity of the call.
After a gruelling wait, she was then connected to a 'professional and polite' man with a British accent.
Aurora explained: 'He sounded like any normal person working at a bank.'
'You hear things on the news about scammers being from other countries and having broken English or heavy foreign accents.'
'But he was just a man with a British accent that spoke in a professional way. It did not seem suspicious.'
The man assured her that she had nothing to worry about and suggested that, in order to increase her level of financial security, he will transfer all of her funds into a new account, which he claimed he was setting up for her at the time of the call.
The teen followed the man's suggestion and then he hung up...
Tragically, it wasn’t until after Aurora sent over her entire life savings of $36,561.37 that she realised the account the money was sent to wasn’t actually a NAB one, but a Commonwealth Bank account.
She shared that she looked up the BSB (Bank State Branch) number, which she claims differed completely from the one on the NAB account she had been contacted about.
'I felt sick, I just got this gut feeling that something was terribly wrong,' she said.
'I called back, and asked why he wanted me to transfer the money into a Commonwealth account. He hung up again.'
'That’s when it hit home, I’d been scammed.'
'You never think something like this will happen to you.'
Allegedly, the scammers used the technique of 'spoofing' to make their phone number appear to be another legitimate business.
Aurora quickly contacted Commonwealth Bank to try and stop the transfer. However, it was too late and she was informed that the funds had already been taken out.
A Commonwealth bank representative also told her that they have 'flagged' the account and are currently investigating Aurora's case.
She remarked: 'I’m devastated. I’ve worked hard all my life, I was saving for a house.'
'All those shifts, all the work I put in, and now this.'
'While my friends were going out and buying nice things like makeup and clothes, I was saving. I was saving for my future.'
'Now I have nothing. I have to start all over again.'
Aurora also contacted NAB for help.
Unfortunately after careful deliberation, the bank decided that while Aurora is covered by NAB’s fraud protection policy, the bank believes she authorised the payment and therefore isn’t liable for the $37,000 she lost.
The memo further indicated that NAB did not view Aurora as a scam victim because the payments were made via her personal device and there was no evidence to show that the bank had failed to deliver its duties.
Despite this, NAB offered her a $3,000 goodwill gesture, which she declined.
'I just want to raise awareness so this doesn’t happen to others,' Aurora said.
'If it can happen to me, it could happen to anyone. It is so scary what these scammers can do.'
'I do think NAB should be held responsible and have more security measures in place, so that their customers do not get scammed.'
'I also think banks in general need an urgent line for people in these situations. If I hadn’t been on hold for hours, maybe I could have gotten my money back.'
'I’m honestly just heartbroken, and I hope nobody else will ever have to go through this.'
Chris Sheehan, NAB’s Executive of Group Investigations and Fraud, said that while the bank cannot comment on individual cases, they encourage their customers to always be vigilant of people asking for your banking details even if they appear legitimate.
According to Mr Sheehan, scammers had made use of a software that could make their phone numbers appear as if they belonged to the bank itself.
He also warned people about NAB’s deceptive strategies of asking vulnerable customers to update their details or to transfer money to another account in the name of 'security'.
'We’ve seen a significant increase in scams in recent years and it’s upsetting to see the devastating effects these can have,' Mr Sheehan said in a statement.
'The prevalence of scams highlights they’re a society-wide issue and we all have a role to play in taking action, driving education and raising awareness.'
This story is a stark reminder of how phone scammers can target those who least expect it, and highlights why it is so important to stay vigilant, especially when it comes to money matters.
Members, you can protect yourselves from becoming a victim of massive frauds like this by following a few key steps.
Firstly, it’s important to always hang up on suspicious calls, and give your bank a direct call on their official number. It’s wise to avoid clicking on any links sent via text messages as well, no matter how urgent the senders may seem.
Remember never to share your personal or banking information with anyone unless you’re certain that they are real and authentic. If a caller or message displays a threatening tone at any point, don’t cave in or panic.
In any case, if you do feel intimidated by a caller, it’s a sure sign you should hang up and call the bank from the number on the back of your card.
Most importantly of all, trust your gut and don’t be afraid to be assertive.
So, there you have it, folks! If you encounter similar phone calls, don't hesitate to report the incident to Scam Watch Australia. Stay safe out there!
She had big goals and worked hard to achieve them all - starting her first casual job at the young age of 14.
However, the teen's goal came crashing down when she became a victim of a new, sophisticated scam that has seen her getting wiped out of her entire life savings.
Aurora recalled that it all started when she received a text message she believed was from her bank.
It said that someone with a name she didn't recognise was trying to transfer money out of her account – and she only had a few seconds to act.
'I was just at home, about to make breakfast when the text came through. I panicked when I read it,' she shared.
'All the money I had saved, and now I thought someone was in my account trying to make an unauthorised transfer.'
Aurora had been saving since she started working at age 14. Unfortunately, a phone scammer managed to con her out of all of her savings, leaving her with nothing. Credit: Pexels/Tara Winstead.
The teen recalled that nothing about the unexpected interaction seemed out of place at the time as the text message claimed to be from the National Australia Bank (NAB).
'The text was from NAB, and was underneath other messages I got from them. It seemed legit to me, so I called the number in a panic,' she continued.
'If it was from a random mobile number, I wouldn’t have believed it. But it seemed so real.'
The text message also included an instruction to call the 'banks' 1800 number if she does not authorise the supposed transfer.
Aurora, who was in a 'state of shock' at the time, made the decision to dial the number, hoping that it could help prevent someone from stealing her money.
Unfortunately, what followed was a series of steps she would come to later realise were all attempts to con her out of her hard-earned money.
Aurora was not suspicious of the text message as it appeared to be from a legitimate NAB number. Credit: Aurora Casilli.
The teen recounted that when she called the number she was given, the prompts and music were exactly the same as when she'd called her bank in the past, making her believe that there was nothing suspicious about the process.
She even had to wait an hour on hold to talk to someone, which she said only added to the apparent authenticity of the call.
After a gruelling wait, she was then connected to a 'professional and polite' man with a British accent.
Aurora explained: 'He sounded like any normal person working at a bank.'
'You hear things on the news about scammers being from other countries and having broken English or heavy foreign accents.'
'But he was just a man with a British accent that spoke in a professional way. It did not seem suspicious.'
The man assured her that she had nothing to worry about and suggested that, in order to increase her level of financial security, he will transfer all of her funds into a new account, which he claimed he was setting up for her at the time of the call.
The teen followed the man's suggestion and then he hung up...
Tragically, it wasn’t until after Aurora sent over her entire life savings of $36,561.37 that she realised the account the money was sent to wasn’t actually a NAB one, but a Commonwealth Bank account.
She shared that she looked up the BSB (Bank State Branch) number, which she claims differed completely from the one on the NAB account she had been contacted about.
'I felt sick, I just got this gut feeling that something was terribly wrong,' she said.
'I called back, and asked why he wanted me to transfer the money into a Commonwealth account. He hung up again.'
'That’s when it hit home, I’d been scammed.'
'You never think something like this will happen to you.'
Allegedly, the scammers used the technique of 'spoofing' to make their phone number appear to be another legitimate business.
Aurora quickly contacted Commonwealth Bank to try and stop the transfer. However, it was too late and she was informed that the funds had already been taken out.
A Commonwealth bank representative also told her that they have 'flagged' the account and are currently investigating Aurora's case.
She remarked: 'I’m devastated. I’ve worked hard all my life, I was saving for a house.'
'All those shifts, all the work I put in, and now this.'
'While my friends were going out and buying nice things like makeup and clothes, I was saving. I was saving for my future.'
'Now I have nothing. I have to start all over again.'
Aurora also contacted NAB for help.
Unfortunately after careful deliberation, the bank decided that while Aurora is covered by NAB’s fraud protection policy, the bank believes she authorised the payment and therefore isn’t liable for the $37,000 she lost.
The memo further indicated that NAB did not view Aurora as a scam victim because the payments were made via her personal device and there was no evidence to show that the bank had failed to deliver its duties.
Despite this, NAB offered her a $3,000 goodwill gesture, which she declined.
'I just want to raise awareness so this doesn’t happen to others,' Aurora said.
'If it can happen to me, it could happen to anyone. It is so scary what these scammers can do.'
'I do think NAB should be held responsible and have more security measures in place, so that their customers do not get scammed.'
'I also think banks in general need an urgent line for people in these situations. If I hadn’t been on hold for hours, maybe I could have gotten my money back.'
'I’m honestly just heartbroken, and I hope nobody else will ever have to go through this.'
Chris Sheehan, NAB’s Executive of Group Investigations and Fraud, said that while the bank cannot comment on individual cases, they encourage their customers to always be vigilant of people asking for your banking details even if they appear legitimate.
According to Mr Sheehan, scammers had made use of a software that could make their phone numbers appear as if they belonged to the bank itself.
He also warned people about NAB’s deceptive strategies of asking vulnerable customers to update their details or to transfer money to another account in the name of 'security'.
'We’ve seen a significant increase in scams in recent years and it’s upsetting to see the devastating effects these can have,' Mr Sheehan said in a statement.
'The prevalence of scams highlights they’re a society-wide issue and we all have a role to play in taking action, driving education and raising awareness.'
This story is a stark reminder of how phone scammers can target those who least expect it, and highlights why it is so important to stay vigilant, especially when it comes to money matters.
Members, you can protect yourselves from becoming a victim of massive frauds like this by following a few key steps.
Firstly, it’s important to always hang up on suspicious calls, and give your bank a direct call on their official number. It’s wise to avoid clicking on any links sent via text messages as well, no matter how urgent the senders may seem.
Remember never to share your personal or banking information with anyone unless you’re certain that they are real and authentic. If a caller or message displays a threatening tone at any point, don’t cave in or panic.
In any case, if you do feel intimidated by a caller, it’s a sure sign you should hang up and call the bank from the number on the back of your card.
Most importantly of all, trust your gut and don’t be afraid to be assertive.
So, there you have it, folks! If you encounter similar phone calls, don't hesitate to report the incident to Scam Watch Australia. Stay safe out there!
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